Economics Degree or CCIM

I have an opportunity to go to school to get an economics degree and have it paid for me, but I also was wondering about getting into the CCIM education, the problem however is that I don't really know what to do. On one hand I feel like going to college would be more of a waste because of all the free info like MIT and coursera.com, rei clubs, books,and forums such as this one but on the other hand I think learning economics or CCIM would be great because of all the content I would be learning. Is it worth going to school vs learning elsewhere, and if it is worth it which one would you guys recommend. As of right now I am 19 and I really don't want to waste any of time with anything that would be counterproductive . Thank you in advance for all the comments, I really appreciate it.

@Andrew Magallanes I dont have either so I wouldn't be able to give you the insight others will on this site. I just wanted to congratulate you for trying to make purposeful steps toward your future at a young age, best of luck your already on the right track!

The CCIM carries a production component. It will take you time to meet these requirements so a parallel path may be in order if your goal is to get there quicker. I did a business certificate with an electrical engineering degree and managed to work while I did it so it can be done if you're dedicated. A lot depends on your discipline and resources going in so it is tough to comment intelligently in the abstract.

I got an undergraduate degree in economics w/ a minor in finance, then passed the Level 1 CFA before dropping out of that program to buy, rehab, and manage real estate. I was considering getting an MBA, but too busy with RE.. The degree afforded me the w2 to be able to amass almost $1MM in less than a couple years, partially by using FHA. The school should also get you countless contacts for your future, which I did not leverage as well when I was in school. Having done it, the education was invaluable both in my personal life, and in its impact on allowing me to get a good job to support the loans to build my RE portfolio, and eventually not need the w2 any more.. I'm even heading back to my alma mater at SFSU to host a big RE investor conference in November! Coming full circle!

I agree with @Bryan Hancock , it's not either/or. But you'll have to decide what will open up the most opportunities for you, and what your personal goals are. You only have so much time, so figure out what will be most meaningful for you. My advice is to be realistic about how much time you have, and don't do a bunch of things half-a**ed. Make sure you can commit to being fully successful at it, or prioritize what you would like to do first..

@Nick Fitzpatrick is a go-getter like you and a lot of us - working hard in daytime, then RE at night to make it happen. It's a part-time job in itself, along with the rest of your obligations.. But well with the reward IMHO!!